


Until he left.

by blushinghyuck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, M/M, busy!jeno, hasn't been Beta'd, high school setting, hyuck's in there a bit if you squint, i did renjun badly im sry he doesn't deserve this, soulmate!AU, this is my first work uh its terrible pls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 15:14:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16161485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blushinghyuck/pseuds/blushinghyuck
Summary: Jeno thought that if his love for Jaemin spilt it might have started wars and turned countries over.He thought that it would be enough for Jaemin.Until it wasn't.





	Until he left.

The one thing that messed with Jeno’s life plan was his soulmate. Anyone would say that Jeno Lee was the most diligent, ambitious, and organised honours student there was. But the one thing Jeno had been left baffled about was his soulmate. Not that everyone didn’t find the whole thing cruel, having your soulmate’s last words tatted onto your body wasn’t the exact meaning of happiness. It just meant eyes tearing up when a phone call came, or getting freaked out over a simple goodbye, or never hearing the words at all. But when Jaemin came into the scene, Jeno thought his world has stopped. 

It was anything but cruel, he thought, when he had been paired up with Jaemin for his chemistry project. The moment when Jaemin’s eyes crinkled up when he smiled, the moment when his nose scrunched up when he whined about something, Jeno thought he could live in that moment. It was only in their second year of being friends, (more best friends - they couldn’t be separated), when Jeno confessed to Jaemin. The boy had been showing him a video he thought was cute, when Jeno’s head stopped working. The kiss wasn’t anything like he imagined. Sparks, yet no fireworks. The slight tang of Jaemin’s lips on his, yet no overwhelming taste. Hyuck had complained when he saw that he had gotten replaced as the best friend and number one priority, despite being there for ten years, but he quietly watched the friendship, blooming into love, and the affection, and the fondness between the pair. 

They never were ones to go all out for their dates, opting to stay and cuddle in the deadly heat of the summer until their bodies were gleaming with sweat. Or making out on school nights until the cracks of dawn could be seen and the pink-red bruises on their bodies were visibly clear to anyone within a 50-metre radius. Or placing soft kisses onto the other to wake them up, only to stay in bed for another few hours, in the comfortable company of one another. They had to work around Jeno’s busy schedule, Jaemin choosing to stay behind at every soccer practice of Jeno’s and understanding when Jeno had to cancel on their weekly movie nights for his student body meetings. 

Not to say Jaemin did anything but distract Jeno during their study sessions, instead, Jeno had to stay up to finish both their homework. They didn’t talk much about the future, Jaemin insisting that long distance relationships wouldn’t work and Jeno insisting that they would, they had to, because he wasn’t sure if he could choose between his future or Jaemin. More often than not, it would end up in fights and rushed words slipping out, angsty moods and silent treatments, but they always did end up solving it between themselves. Always. 

Until they didn’t.

Jeno had left Jaemin’s place at 4am. After Jeno had brought up his soccer scholarship abroad, expecting Jaemin to be happy for him, only to see eyes full of disappointment. He had only wanted Jaemin to be happy for him just this once, he worked so hard to balance both Jaemin and his school life, expecting reassurance from the former. Jeno understood that Jaemin deserved his attention, Jeno understood more than anyone. But all he could do was think of how Jaemin was being selfish, how his first words were ‘are you going to take it’ rather than words of encouragement. He had stormed out, but Jaemin was quick to follow. This had happened before, one or the other would get angry and slip out of the room only for the both of them to return to school with heavy eye bags and regret-filled eyes. 

Until they didn’t. 

Jeno had never left this late at night, and Jaemin was worried, just like he always was. They would always run after the other, mumbling apologies in desperation for the other to stay, until they realised that space was what they needed. It would take a few days of Hyuck trying to keep the mood at lunchtimes, but sooner or later, one would call the other, talking through tear-soaked lips. And that was all it took for them to return to each other.

Until it wasn’t. 

Jeno broke into a run back home, he didn’t want Jaemin’s half-assed apologies, and he only slowed down until he heard the footsteps behind him slowing down, but he was already halfway through the journey by then. They would always take a while to talk it out, a few days, sometimes weeks, but both would share their feelings on Jeno’s balcony, until the sky burst into stars and their lo-fi hip-hop playlists playing in the background stopped playing. They were all the other wanted, needed in their life. 

Until they weren’t. 

Jaemin’s call came in only a few minutes after Jeno had entered his room. Jeno looked in the mirror, only to see stress pimples growing, dark circles under his eyes, hair dishevelled from all the times he had ran his hand through it. Jaemin was supposed to be his reliever. He picked up the phone only to hear Jaemin weakly muttering Jeno’s name, sirens in the back, before the line went dead. 

Jeno had never run so fast, after a call to Jaemin’s mum, Jeno didn’t think about anything other than his name on Jaemin’s lips. 

Jeno took in the sight in front of him. Jaemin’s deathly pale lips, usually so soft and plump, his rosy cheeks gone white, his hunched-up shoulders finally relaxed, his bright eyes, now empty. 

Though the continuous ringing of the heart monitor flatlining was all Jeno could hear, he couldn’t bring himself to bring tears to his eyes. It didn’t feel as if a part of him was ripped out, and all he could do was mumble an apology to Jaemin when he saw the words he had muttered tattooed on the said boy’s arm. But Jeno’s own name was not the word he had on his arm and it took him a while to get it. 

It took him even longer to come to terms with it. Every time he turned around to tell Jaemin something, when the name died on his lips and his gaze fell. When he went to wait for Jaemin at his locker only to realise after a few minutes and head to class himself. When he mentioned a habit of Jaemin around Hyuck and only then the atmosphere fell silent. He couldn’t understand the workings of cruel fate. He couldn’t come to terms with Jaemin not being his soulmate when every time he closed his eyes all he could see was the boy. 

It wasn’t until a few months later, Jeno had continued his usual busy routine, loading himself up with so many co-curriculars that he didn’t have time to breathe let alone let the guilt fill up his body. How could Hyuck complain about Jeno’s schedule when he had walked in on a sobbing Jeno sagged up in his bathroom, the guilt drowning him. 

But then Hyuck thought he had witnessed a miracle. He saw Jeno turn around and the conversation they had come to a halt. He saw the widening of his eyes, the light that returned back to them. And the way Jeno melted when the boy gave him a small, shy smile. He saw the staring all throughout biology, the hand that rushed to pick up the fallen pencil, the constant eye-smile through lunch. Jeno didn’t say anything but Hyuck understood when Jeno said that he was the most beautiful boy he had ever seen. Hyuck walked away when the said boy came up to their table, and Jeno didn’t say anything, but Hyuck understood when Jeno said that his smile was like the sun. 

That night, for the first time, Jeno slept not with Jaemin on his mind but the name Renjun on his lips. And Hyuck could only smile in pity again.

**Author's Note:**

> IM SORRY if u made it this far u probably hate me now but uh come yell @ me on my twitter 
> 
> @/blushinghyuck or here [twitter](https://twitter.com/blushinghyuck)
> 
>  
> 
> please leave any comments or any other suggestions!!!


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